Bill Cullen has been cleared of speeding after a court heard the Garda fine may have been sent to a young offenders’ jail instead of his home.

The businessman and former star of The Apprentice had to appear at Dublin District Court today for speeding after a fixed penalty notice fine of €80 went unpaid.

A court summons was issued against the one-time king of the Irish motor industry for breaking the 60kph speed limit on the M1, at Cloughran, north Dublin, on June 8 last year.

The businessman, who lives at Osberstown House, Sallins, Co Kildare, was pleading not guilty, defence solicitor Michael French told Judge James Faughnan.

Traffic Garda Dominic Noonan told the Judge that he had been operating speeding equipment when Mr Cullen was detected driving “83kph in a 60kph” zone.

He said he spoke to the driver, a fixed penalty notice was later sent to his address in Kildare and the officer said he did not receive any correspondence back.

The 72-year-old businessman, wearing a pinstriped suit, was sworn in to the witness box and told his solicitor Mr French and the judge that he “never received it” - referring to the fine.

He also said he normally does not have difficulties with his post, which he said is also checked by his partner Jackie Lavin.

“I would have paid, €80, and that would be it,” he said, adding that he has been a driver for the past 55 years and in all that time he has never received a penalty point, fine or conviction.

He went on to explain that once or twice a year his post would not be delivered to his address at Osberstown House and instead would go Oberstown House, which is a juvenile detention centre, in Lusk, north Dublin.

Judge Faughnan noted from Mr French, defending, that the car dealer’s address had been spelt wrongly, as Oberstown House, on the court summons, and he dismissed the case.